Friday, December 19, 2008

This postcard is about 100 years old, but it would be appropriate for this year when many people are cutting back on holiday giving because of "hard times."It is published by B.B. London, Series No. X101, and printed in Germany.

Country Club Plaza in Kansas City is the country's first shopping center. It began in the early 1920s.

The Plaza lighting traditon began in 1930. The buildings have been lit for the holiday season every year except 1973 when President Nixon urged curtailing the use of Christmas lights to reduce dependence on foreign oil imports

2008 is the 79th year of the tradition. It takes months to hang the lights and take them down each year. The lights are turned on at 5 p.m. each evening until January 11, 2009.

This postcard was mailed in 1952. The description on the back of this postcard is as follows:

Each Christmas season, thousands of Clevelanders and visitors from miles around come to see the magnificent spectacle of Sterling Lindner Davis' traditional Christmas tree, towering in the Great Court. A live, 50 ft. tree, festooned with 60 lbs. of 'icicles', 1000 yds. of tinsel, 1500 ornaments, and illuminated by 6 banks of 750 candle-watt spotlights. It requires 650 man-power hours to trim by swinging stages suspended from the skylight, Once again, our Christmas tree awaits you…proud symbol that "There's Magic in a gift from S-L-D.!

The Sterling Lindner Christmas Tree tradition was started in the late 1920s and continued until 1967 (the three names were combined in 1950 and the Davis was dropped from the name in 1958). I also have a couple of different Sterling Lindner Christmas Tree postcards from the 1960s. On the 1960s postcards the tree is described as 60 feet tall — "America's tallest inddoor tree, symbol of Christmas in Cleveland for well over 30 years."

This Jim Beam Distilling Company advertising postcard shows the 1956 political bottles containing Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Pictures of Beam Political Bottles for presidential election years 1956 to 1988 can be found at POLITICAL DECANTERS SERIES (these 1956 bottles are described there as ashtrays).Advertising message on the back of this postcard:Good for any "Party"Ideal for use as:BOOK ENDS • COASTER-TRAY • DECANTER • CANDELABRAThe Beam Bottled in Bond Ivy Planter Tray bottles were especially designed for the 1956 Election Year. both Donkey and Elephant bottles are hand crafted in genuine Regal China.These outstanding packages available at no extra cost.